Joey Gathright | |
---|---|
Outfielder | |
Born: Columbia, Mississippi, U.S. | April 27, 1981|
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
MLB debut | |
June 25, 2004, for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays | |
Last MLB appearance | |
September 28, 2011, for the Boston Red Sox | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .263 |
Home runs | 1 |
Stolen bases | 96 |
Teams | |
Joey Renard Gathright (born April 27,1981) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays,Kansas City Royals,Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox. He was born in Hattiesburg,Mississippi.
Gathright attended Bonnabel High School in Kenner,Louisiana,where he played baseball and football as a junior and boxed. [1] He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 32nd round of the 2001 Major League Baseball Draft,and signed in August after playing that summer in a Louisiana Sugar Cane League in Sorrento,Louisiana.
He made his major league debut with the Devil Rays on June 25,2004.
Gathright was arguably one of the fastest players in major league baseball when he made his major league debut,and led all major league outfielders in range factor (3.06) in 2006. He does not hit for power (with only one home run in his MLB career). From 2006 to 2009,he had the lowest slugging average of players with at least 1000 plate appearances at .298. He has a .263 lifetime batting average going into the 2009 season.
Gathright was clocked at 6.1 seconds in the 60-yard dash. [2] While in high school,he jumped over his coach's car. [3] That jumping ability proved useful on the field,as in a 2008 spring training game Gathright jumped over Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Hiroki Kuroda,who was trying to tag him out en route to first base.
In 2005,he hit .276 in 76 games,and drew 10 walks.
On June 20,2006,he was traded to the Kansas City Royals,along with infielder Fernando Cortez,for left-handed pitcher J. P. Howell. In the 2006 season,he batted .238 with a .321 on-base percentage,and a .292 slugging percentage. He hit his first,and to date only,home run on September 16,2006,against Joel Piñeiro of the Seattle Mariners.
In 2007,Gathright broke up Bobby Jenks's major league record-tying streak of 41 consecutive batters retired. Gathright,who would have been the record 42nd batter,was able to get a hit.
While playing center field,his range factor per nine innings was below average in 2007,2008,and 2009. In 2008 Gathright saw his range factor fall to 2.53,below all but one center field starter in the league. He also hit .254 with a .311 on-base percentage,and only a .272 slugging percentage—below that of all starting outfielders in the major leagues.
Gathright,while with the Royals,had a tendency to attempt to bunt for base hits in order to use his superior speed to reach base. However,he proved to be an inconsistent bunter,and thus his on-base percentage and batting average suffered.
On December 16,2008,three days after being non-tendered by the Royals, [4] Gathright signed a one-year deal with the Chicago Cubs. [5] and made his debut April 6 against the Houston Astros. [6] In 20 games for the Cubs,he hit .214.
On May 8,2009,after clearing waivers and being sent outright to the minors,the Cubs traded Gathright to the Baltimore Orioles for Ryan Freel. [7] The Orioles sent him to the AAA Norfolk Tides,where he hit .329 in 80 games.
On August 29,2009,the Boston Red Sox acquired Gathright in exchange for either a player to be named later or cash considerations. He appeared in 17 regular season games,primarily as a pinch runner. He was on the post-season roster,where he made one appearance without an at-bat.
On December 13,2009,the Toronto Blue Jays signed Gathright to a minor league contract. [8] However,he was released on March 28 before the start of the season.
On March 30,2010,he signed a minor league contract to return to the Orioles. He was released on July 22,2010,after 61 games with Norfolk,where he hit only .185
On August 6,2010,Gathright signed with the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League. He ended the season hitting .269 with 3 home runs and 19 RBI.
On April 13,2011,Gathright signed with the Shreveport-Bossier Captains of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball. He was released on June 7,2011,after hitting .190 in 21 games.
He then signed,on June 10,2011,with the Yuma Scorpions of the North American League,where he hit .347 in 61 games.
His performance got him another chance in the Majors and on August 31,2011,he returned to the Red Sox. [9] He appeared in 7 late season games with the Red Sox,as either a defensive replacement or pinch runner.
He was signed by the Tigres de Quintana Roo of the Mexican League [10] but later signed with the Bridgeport Bluefish of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.
On May 24,the Cincinnati Reds purchased Gathright's contract from the Bridgeport club. He reported to the Louisville Bats,Cincinnati's AAA minor league affiliate. [11] He was released on July 14 after hitting .299 in 40 games.
On July 2,2013,Joey Gathright signed with the Kansas City T-Bones in the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball. [12]
Ángel Maria Berroa Selmo is a Dominican professional baseball coach and former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals,Los Angeles Dodgers,New York Yankees and New York Mets. Berroa was selected as the 2003 American League Rookie of the Year.
Don Edward Baylor,nicknamed "Groove," was an American professional baseball player,coach and manager. During his 19 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB),Baylor was a power hitter known for standing very close to home plate and was a first baseman,left fielder,and designated hitter. He played for six different American League (AL) teams,primarily the Baltimore Orioles and California Angels,but he also played for the Oakland Athletics,New York Yankees,Minnesota Twins,and Boston Red Sox. In 1979,Baylor was an All-Star and won the AL Most Valuable Player Award. He won three Silver Slugger Awards,the Roberto Clemente Award,and was a member of the 1987 World Series champion Minnesota Twins.
Esteban Luis Yan is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in all or parts of 11 seasons in Major League Baseball. At 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m),275 lb (125 kg),he batted and threw right-handed.
Donald Corey Patterson is an American former professional baseball center fielder. Currently,he is the manager of the Brookhaven Bucks in the Sunbelt Baseball League. He is the older brother of infielder Eric Patterson,and the son of former NFL defensive back Don Patterson.
Jason Lee "Jay" Payton is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder who played for the New York Mets (1998-2002),Colorado Rockies,San Diego Padres (2004),Boston Red Sox (2005),Oakland Athletics (2005-2006) and Baltimore Orioles (2007-2008). He batted and threw right-handed. Payton was an opposite-field hitter with some power. He had great speed as a runner,but did not steal many bases. Defensively,he was a solid outfielder with an above-average arm,and his quickness getting rid of the ball helped him hold baserunners on the base paths. He is currently serving as an in game analyst with ESPNU for college baseball.
David Matthew Newhan is an American former professional baseball utility player who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for five teams during eight seasons. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed.
William Charles Harris is an American professional baseball coach who is currently the third base coach for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He is also a former Major League Baseball outfielder and second baseman with the Baltimore Orioles,Chicago White Sox,Boston Red Sox,Atlanta Braves,Washington Nationals,New York Mets and the Cincinnati Reds between 2001 and 2012. With the White Sox,he won the 2005 World Series against the Houston Astros. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed. He attended Middle Georgia State University and Kennesaw State University and lives in Cairo,Georgia during the off-season. He is the nephew of former third baseman and shortstop for the Milwaukee Brewers and San Francisco Giants,Ernest Riles.
Michael Anthony Tucker is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder and first baseman. Tucker played with the Kansas City Royals,Atlanta Braves (1997-1998),Cincinnati Reds (1999-2001),Chicago Cubs (2001),San Francisco Giants (2004-2005),Philadelphia Phillies (2005) and New York Mets (2006). He batted left-handed and threw right-handed.
Wily Modesto Peña Gutierrez is a Dominican former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds,Boston Red Sox,Washington Nationals,Arizona Diamondbacks and Seattle Mariners,and in NPB for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks and Orix Buffaloes. At 6 feet,3 inches in height and nearly 300 pounds,the right-handed batting and throwing Peña is considered a pure power hitter best known for his long-distance home runs and high strikeout rate.
Todd Arthur Walker is an American former professional baseball infielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1996 to 2007. Listed at 6 feet 0 inches (1.83 m) and 180 pounds (82 kg),he batted left-handed and threw right-handed. Walker played college baseball at Louisiana State University (LSU) and is an inductee of the National College Baseball Hall of Fame.
Ryan Paul Freel was an American professional baseball player. A utility player,Freel played second base,third base,and all three outfield positions in Major League Baseball for the Baltimore Orioles,Chicago Cubs,Cincinnati Reds,Kansas City Royals and Toronto Blue Jays between 2001 and 2009.
Norris Stephen Hopper is an American former professional baseball outfielder who played three seasons of Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds. Drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the eighth round of the 1998 Major League Baseball draft,Hopper made his MLB debut on August 20,2006,with the Cincinnati Reds. He has a major league career .316 batting average with 125 hits,15 doubles,two triples,one home run,20 runs batted in,and 17 stolen bases.
Derrick Brant May is an American former outfielder who played for the Chicago Cubs (1990–94),Milwaukee Brewers (1995),Houston Astros (1995–96),Philadelphia Phillies (1997),Montreal Expos (1998) and Baltimore Orioles (1999). He also played three seasons in Japan,from 2001 until 2003,for the Chiba Lotte Marines. He was the assistant hitting coach for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2016. He was the manager of the Frederick Keys of the MLB Draft League in 2021. In 2022 he was the Organization Hitting Coordinator for SSG Lander’s in Korea.
Glen Eugene Stephens was an American professional baseball outfielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for all or portions of a dozen seasons between 1952 and 1964 for the Boston Red Sox,Baltimore Orioles,Kansas City Athletics and Chicago White Sox. He also played one season in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Chunichi Dragons (1966). The native of Gravette,Arkansas,batted left-handed,threw right-hand,and was listed at 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m) tall and 175 pounds (79 kg). He attended the University of Arkansas.
Luís Andres Hernández Mendoza is a Venezuelan former professional baseball shortstop. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles,Kansas City Royals,New York Mets and Texas Rangers.
Luis Anibal Montañez is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles and Chicago Cubs.
Jemile Nykiwa Weeks is an American former professional baseball second baseman and outfielder. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics,Baltimore Orioles,Boston Red Sox,and San Diego Padres.
Ryan Cole Lavarnway is an American-Israeli former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox,Baltimore Orioles,Atlanta Braves,Oakland Athletics,Pittsburgh Pirates,Cincinnati Reds,Miami Marlins,and Cleveland Indians. In international competition,he plays for Team Israel,and competed for them in the World Baseball Classic and in the Olympics.
Alexander Edward Hassan is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder who played for the Boston Red Sox in 2014.
Eloy Arturo Jiménez Solano is a Dominican professional baseball designated hitter and outfielder for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB). Jiménez signed with the Chicago Cubs in 2013 as an international free agent. He made his MLB debut in 2019 with the Chicago White Sox and won the Silver Slugger Award in 2020.